


A Midsummer's Nightmare

by orphan_account



Category: SPN, Supernatural
Genre: A little, Bottom!Gabriel, Brainy!Sam, Destiel Fluff, Destiel High School AU, F/F, F/M, High School AU, Just Cute Stuff, M/M, Sabriel Fluff, Sabriel angst, Shakespeare, Theater AU, Theatre AU, Top!Sam, and adorableness, destiel smut, domestic sabriel, little bit of, nerdy!sam, sabriel high school au, sabriel smut, sabriel theater au, sabriel theatre au, sassy!gabriel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-07
Updated: 2014-12-07
Packaged: 2018-02-28 13:41:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 11,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2734673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gabriel plays pranks on the theater department mercilessly. But when a tall, sexy nerd named Sam Winchester catches his eye, he decides that joining drama might not be so bad. Cue fluff and mild angst and Gabriel in fairy wings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. When Gabe Met Sam

**Author's Note:**

> Written for hidinginpandorasbox on tumblr, who gave me this prompt: Sabriel (possibly minor Destiel) high school AU: Gabriel hates the theatre department with a passion and plays pranks on them countless of times. However, when Sam becomes the "tech guy" for their own rendition of a famous play/musical (your choice), he begins to see the appeal and joins the crew/cast. Bonus points if you throw in some references/a background plot for Destiel.  
> I hope I earned my bonus points! This fic sort of got away from me (??) and ended up being a bit long. Hope you like it, though!  
> I'm also gifting this fic, in part, to greymichaela for her birthday, because her blog is fantastic and she totally deserves it :).

Okay, so it wasn't exactly sweet of him to play pranks on the theatre kids so much, but Gabe figured that since it was his senior year, he had to make the most of it. And watching from the catwalk above the stage while some dork in tights stepped out to deliver a line and got soaked with water never got old.   
Gabriel, Crowley, and Balthazar laughed uproariously while a pissed-off Adam wrung out the edge of his tunic. He looked up and started cussing them out. Naomi, the director of the whole stupid thing, came out to give them a stern talking-to.   
"Gabriel. Balthazar. Crowley. If you don't stop pranking the theater department while we're trying to work, I will report you to the principal. And trust me, you don't want that on your record." She crossed her arms and glared up at them.   
"Naomi, dear," Balthazar said, striding lazily down the catwalk steps with Gabriel and Crowley close behind, "what, pray tell, do you think you could do to our records that hasn't been done already? I mean, they've practically been to hell and back."  
Gabriel chimed in, "And I don't think you said anything about pranking the theatre kids when they aren't working." He smirked at Naomi and walked out of the theater, slamming the double doors behind him. 

The next day, Gabriel set fire to the set.   
He hadn't meant to, exactly. It was more a smoke-bomb-gone-wrong kinda thing than actual arson, but he had laughed when the set caught on fire. It wasn't really his fault, right? And watching Naomi practically trip out of her Prada heels to get to the fire extinguisher was funny no matter who you were. The whole crew was muffling giggles, and even the early-bird rehearsal kids (official auditions hadn't been held yet) who hated Gabriel's pranks were holding back smiles as they fanned smoke away from the fire alarms. Even the tech monkeys had come out of the box and were helping to clear up. Gabriel was attempting to sneak out of the theater unnoticed when he caught sight of one who wasn't even trying to hide his fantastic smile. The kid stopped him in his tracks.   
Gabriel, being pansexual, didn't have a specific type, but the tech guy ticked all the boxes for him. He was gorgeous- big brown eyes, rumpled brown hair, muscled, and tall- and he seemed to appreciate fine humor. He wore a tshirt that read: "Don't Blink. Blink And You're Dead". Hot nerd, then. Exactly Gabriel's kinda thing. Gabe spent about ten seconds just staring at the guy until Naomi caught him.   
"Gabriel. Yes, I see you. You're right there in a leather jacket and a Pink Floyd shirt. It's not exactly inconspicuous."   
Gabriel sighed. Curse his impeccable fashion sense. Slowly he turned around to face Naomi's wrath.   
"Alone today?"  
"Look, Naomi, it was an accident."  
"So you can clean it up? Thanks so much. Everyone, back in position."  
Gabriel groaned and moved toward the stage. Adam tossed him a mop with a smirk and gestured toward the pile of ash and half-burned boards on the stage. "Get to it, trash boy."  
"Really?" said Gabriel, rolling his eyes. "Trash boy? That's what you came up with? I would have thought you'd try a little bit harder for me."  
Adam had already turned away and seemed to be attempting to recall a line. Gabriel sent up a quiet prayer that he never remembered it, then took the broom to the stage floor.


	2. Master Sensei of the Drama Nerds

Through the typically boring day, Gabe's mind kept returning to the tech guy. He was incredibly hot and just geeky enough to turn Gabriel on. But if he was in drama, Gabe'd probably never see him again.   
Unless Gabriel joined drama.   
For a second, he was absolutely disgusted. No fucking way. But then he figured what the hell, right? He'd been looking for a change of pace anyway. It wasn't about the tech monkey. It was about padding his college resume and going into new stuff. It was about "learning to love your enemies" and all the rest of that crap.   
It was absolutely, definitely about getting into the tech monkey's pants, and Gabriel knew it. 

At lunch, he fessed up to Crowley and Balthazar, who were both suitably horrified.   
"Are you kidding?" Crowley growled. "We've set up a regime here. I, for one, have a reputation to keep up." He stabbed his mashed potatoes viciously.   
"Same," Balthazar said flippantly. "Castiel, why on earth would you ever want to join the literal geek squad?"  
"Change of pace. You know," Gabriel attempted to answer casually. "It's really no big deal."  
"Gabriel," Crowley said, "we've known you how long?"  
"Since preschool," Gabriel said, taking a huge bite of the brownie on his tray.   
"And you have never wanted a change of pace. At any point."  
Gabriel looked up at Crowley. "You're so dramatic that I almost thought you'd support me," he said sarcastically.   
"Think again, angel."  
"Don't sacrifice yourself to the dork side," Balthazar added lazily, leaning back in his chair.   
"Come on. It's a great way to stick it to Naomi," Gabriel protested.   
"Is it really worth tights?" Balthazar asked with a smirk.   
Gabriel rolled his neck. "Look, bitches. I'm trying out tomorrow. If Naomi doesn't let me in, and she won't, we can forget this ever happened. Capisce?"  
"Touchy," Crowley said, swallowing his mouthful of potatoes.   
"Shut up," Gabriel growled. 

After the last bell rang, Gabriel caught Castiel on his way out of sophomore history class. Cas had a major thing for history for some reason, and he looked completely out of it.   
"Cas?" Gabriel asked, snapping his fingers in front of Castiel's oblivious nose. "Earth to Cas- I actually need you back on this planet, so get your ass into your spaceship."  
Cas blinked and rolled his eyes when he saw Gabriel in front of him. "What is it, Gabriel?"  
"I'm thinking about trying out for the school play. Got time to show me some of your moves, Master Sensei of the Drama Nerds?"   
Castiel raised his eyebrows. "You're trying out for the school play? Do you even know what it is this year?"  
"Of course, little bro," Gabe said, thanking whoever was up in the sky that there was a Drama Club poster right behind Castiel. "It's A Midsummer's Night Dream, which... wow, that actually might be kinda decent."  
Castiel and Gabriel walked down the set of stairs leading to the double doors outside.   
"Is this a joke, Gabriel? Are you actually going out for theater?"  
Gabriel sighed with frustration. "Why does no one believe me?  
"I don't know, Gabe, maybe because you've terrorized the drama kids for four years and no one believes the idea that your sudden urge to participate in the school play isn't some sort of elaborate prank?"  
Gabriel nodded. "Okay, yeah, I get why people would think that. And any other time, they would be totally justified in thinking it. But I really do want to try out. Problem is, Naomi won't let me in unless I'm absolutely amazing. Soooo," he said, stepping in front of Cas and waggling his eyebrows, "I thought I'd ask the dork who had a crush on Shakespeare in grade school to give me a few tips. That would be you." He poked Castiel in the chest.   
Cas pushed his hand away with a slight smile. "Naomi's not going to let you in at all."  
Gabriel stuck out his bottom lip. "Come on, Cassie. You're the one who's always saying to have faith. Just give me a chance." He pulled out his last resort and turned the full magnitude of his puppy dog eyes on Cas.   
"Fine. But you're actually going to have to listen to someone for a change, because I am not going through your whole "problem with authority" thing."  
"Cross my heart," Gabriel said, smirking behind Cas as they got into Gabriel's pick-up truck. 

"Gabriel, it's a good thing you can be bribed with candy, because I don't see how we'd ever get anything done otherwise."   
Gabriel shot Castiel a bitchface around his mouthful of chocolate, chewed, swallowed, and ripped off another massive bite of the candy. In the past three hours, Cas had coached Gabe in all things theatre- from walking correctly to acing an improv scene- and it had taken six chocolate bars, ten lollipops, and a huge piece of cake. Cas was slung out over one of the chairs in Gabriel's room, while Gabriel himself was flopped on his massive king-size bed. He was completely exhausted, and, judging by Cas's bloodshot eyes, Cas was too.   
"Are we dooooone yet?" Gabriel moaned.   
"One more scene," Cas answered. "You know that the auditions are improv, which means Naomi can make you do anything she wants. Which also means that you have to be perfect at everything."  
"But I already am perfect," Gabe said, rolling over on the bed and grinning at his younger brother.   
"You know what I mean, Gabriel," Cas sighed, passing a hand over his eyes.   
"Hey," Gabe said, sitting up. "Come on, I'm ready. Let's get you some food and sleep, okay?" He slung an arm around Cas and supported him as they walked into the kitchen, then set him down in one of the big wooden chairs at the table. Gabe rifled through the cupboards and threw together a PB&J, then poured Cas a tall glass of milk.   
"Thanks," Cas said, taking a big bite of the sandwich.   
"Nah, little bro. Thank you," Gabriel said. "Make sure to take a nap or something, okay? Can't have you passing out at auditions tomorrow right before my big moment." He grinned and left Cas in the kitchen, heading back to his own room. He was thinking about running through a couple of the exercises Cas had showed him, but as soon as his head hit the pillow he was out like a light.


	3. I Dream A Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this chapter's a bit long!

The next day after school, Gabriel walked into the theater, which was decked out in black and gold (school colors) streamers and banners that said things like "Expand Your Horizons! Join Theatre" and "Cut the Drama. Try Out for Theatre!" The force of his eye-rolling could have started an earthquake, but he toned it down when he saw Naomi fluttering around through the crowds of hopefuls dressed in a pantsuit and stilettos with a clipboard in hand. He walked through the would-be drama kids and said, "Do me a favor and write me up on that clipboard of yours."  
Naomi looked up, and her blue eyes flashed with anger. "Gabriel, don't do anything today. Just this one day, please. It's senior year, and I'd like to get a decent group of kids together for this play, okay?"  
Gabriel smirked. "Naomi, darling, you've got me wrong. I'm asking you to give me an audition slot."  
Naomi looked so shocked that Gabriel prepared himself to catch her when she fainted. Or rather, not catch her and then laugh. "What?"  
"I said mark me up. I'm going all the way to Broadway." Gabriel was barely restraining his laughter at the look on Naomi's face. He turned to go sit in the first five rows of the auditorium with the rest of the kids auditioning when he heard Naomi.   
"No fucking way, Gabriel Shirley."  
Gabriel turned back and raised his eyebrows in mock surprise. "Language, Naomi. Goodness, we're not savages."  
Naomi's smile was almost feral. "There's no fucking way you're getting anywhere near this play, Gabriel. I am going to crush you the way you've been crushing this department for four years. You better hope that I show some compassion and give you a swift rejection. But I'm not feeling especially merciful today."  
"Wow, Naomi, I'm really afraid of the person who couldn't even get me to stop playing pranks on the theater department with four years to do it in. Don't forget you're not the only one who decides who gets into drama." He gestured at Uriel and Hannah, Naomi's two infinitely sweeter lackeys.   
Naomi glanced over and snorted. "Like those two have any sort of free will. Good luck, Gabriel. You'll need it." She walked off to terrorize some other new kid while Gabriel sat down in the rows reserved for those auditioning. He realized that his hands were trembling as he leaned back in his seat and tried to control his breathing.   
Finally, Naomi walked up to the front of the stage and gave a fake cheery smile. "Welcome, everyone! This year the theatre department will be putting on A Midsummer's Night Dream. We have nine major parts available and need about twenty extras. If you're not willing to be an extra, please write that on your audition form. We're going to be doing public auditions this year, so just come up onto the stage when I call your name. I'll call the first person in about five minutes, so see you then!" She handed a sheaf of audition forms to the first person in the row and disappeared behind the curtain.   
Gabriel bummed a pen off the girl behind him and filled out the form lazily, then watched everyone around him. They all seemed a bit nervous, with the exception of Dorothy, who was calm as usual and seemed to be doing her best to calm down her girlfriend, Charlie, who was freaking out beside her.   
"Charlie, you're going to do very well. Stop worrying."  
"Yeah, but I love this, and I really want to make it in, and it's just tough because Willy Shakes is awesome and this is my fave play of his and-" Dorothy shut her up with a kiss, then drew back.   
"Relax," she said with a smile. Charlie smiled back and quieted, although she kept fidgeting nervously.   
Gabriel grinned to himself. Finally, those two had gotten together. He'd never told anyone, but he'd kinda maybe been the one who pushed them together at the Christmas party and then bought them both tickets to that comic con in Kansas a month ago and told them both that they'd probably meet someone special there.   
Naomi's imperious voice came from the stage. "Gabriel Shirley?"  
Gabe stood up and mock saluted. "Present and ready for orders, general." He climbed the steps to the stage. Naomi passed him a packet of sheet music and lyrics and smirked at him. "If you need time to warm up, just say the word."  
Gabriel glanced at the sheet music and recognized it instantly. "Really, Naomi?"  
"You have to be versatile if you want to do theatre, Gabriel."  
Gabriel sighed and sucked it up, remembering what Castiel had told him- try to become the character. He almost laughed, but took a deep breath and exhaled, becoming Fantine from Les Mis. He did like Fantine; he sympathized with her absolute devotion to family and how her faith in God began collapsing, even though she still believed. Gabriel recited the lines on the page with pain in his voice and what he hoped was convincing vulnerability in his eyes, then launched into "I Dream A Dream."  
"I dream a dream of time gone by, when hope was high and life worth living. I dreamed that love would never die, I dreamed that God would be forgiving."   
The auditorium was absolutely silent as the crowd listened to Gabriel sing low and rich and beautifully. The bright lights of the stage illuminated his golden hair and made him look almost angelic, amplifying the effect of his voice. For a moment, even Naomi was quiet.   
Then the spell was broken, and Naomi cut him off with a brisk, "Thank you, Gabriel. Now if Jo Harvelle would come to the stage-" Her voice was lost amongst the quiet roar of an entire theater's worth of princesses, brains, jocks, delinquents, and criminals standing and clapping. Gabriel blushed for the first time since grade school and jogged down the steps, where he was greeted by Balthazar and Crowley.   
"Well, angel," Crowley said, "I had my doubts, but you have the puppy dog eyes and the pipes to pull this one off. Congratulations. I don't think even Naomi can stop you getting a part."   
Balthazar smiled. "Don't worry, though, we'll still prank you. Maybe you can help out with a couple...how shall I say it... behind-the-scenes jobs?"  
"Hells yeah, Balthy," Gabriel answered with a smirk, then noticed someone standing off to the side. "Hey, I'm gonna go talk to that kid," he said, pointing at the tech geek from the day he'd set fire to the set. "He looks like he could use some company."  
"Don't start with the kinky stuff until at least the third date, angel," Crowley said. "Good luck with him, though. Can't deny that he's hot." He and Balthazar disappeared into the crowd.   
Gabe glanced over at the tech guy and felt butterflies in his stomach. Stay cool, he reminded himself, and smoothed down his hair. As he began walking over to the tech monkey, he tripped and ended up on the floor at the kid's feet. The kid bent down to help him up quickly.   
"Guess I'm falling for you already," he said, winking up at the tech geek. "They call me Gabriel."  
"Sam Winchester," the tech geek said, holding out his hand. Gabriel shook it, and the guy said, "Hey, I really have to get back up to the box." and started walking off.   
"I'll come with," said Gabriel, attempting to keep up with his long strides.   
"Kinda busy," said the tech geek- Sam - as he started walking faster.   
"No problem," Gabe said, practically running now. "I'm not a bother."  
"Seriously?" Sam looked back and seemed to give up. "Okay, but hurry up. I'm supposed to be up there monitoring sound and lights for the rest of the auditions." His long legs swallowed up the long ramps as Gabriel jogged behind him and surreptitiously admired his ass in those long light denim jeans. Sam pulled out a key and unlocked the box, switching on the lights and hurrying over to the control panel. Gabriel sidled through the doorway and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, watching Sam work.   
"You're the greatest person I have ever had the misfortune of meeting, Sam Winchester," Gabriel said with a rueful smile.   
"And why's that?" Sam asked, reaching around Gabe to flick a switch on the lighting panel.  
"Because you're absolutely gorgeous, but I'll never be able to see you again."  
Sam let out a short laugh.   
Gabriel pouted. "Really, the drama kids should be putting on Romeo and Juliet instead of A Midsummer Night's Dream. That's the kind of star-crossed lovers we are."  
"I bet you say that to all the eligible tech geeks."  
Gabriel plopped down in one of the tech department's swivel chairs and began spinning around. "Only the ones who make my heart go pitter-patter. But seriously- Naomi's never going to let me into the play, after all that I've done to her precious drama kids over the years."  
Sam pushed a button on the panel and flopped his lanky frame into the chair facing Gabriel. "Yeah, why did you suddenly turn traitor? I mean, I've only been here a few weeks, but I know all about your hatred of the theatre department."  
Gabriel bit his lip, but played off the question. "Oh, there were a couple of reasons," he said, lacing the words with sexual innuendo. "But I dunno.... being up on the stage during the actual audition, under the lights, playing someone else? It kinda changed my outlook on things. I'd like to say I'm a bona fide theater geek now. But what about you, Samsquatch? Any reason you're up here in the nerd box?"  
"I'm offended," Sam deadpanned. "The tech crew is clearly the real star of the production- we're back here working lights and sound and putting everything together."  
At a look from Gabriel, he caved. "I tried out early, but didn't make it. Apparently I was 'stilted, awkward, and completely unsuited to being in someone else's skin,'" he said, sketching quotation marks in the air with his fingers.   
"Naomi's a real bitch, eh?" Gabriel said. "Sorry you didn't make it. At least you didn't react like Anna Milton." The two smiled, thinking back on the absolute fit Anna'd pitched when she had found out she hadn't gotten the lead in last year's rendition of The Sound of Music. Naomi had practically had to sedate her to get her out of the auditorium after auditions.   
"God, she sounded like a dying whale," Sam laughed.   
"Rude, Samsquatch. You could've at least used an insult that wasn't a total cliché," Gabriel answered.  
"Hmmm, okay. How about she sounded like Sharpay on helium with a chest cold?"  
"Wouldn't have pegged you for the High School Musical type, Sammy," Gabe said.   
Sam leaned forward in his chair. "Look, there are two types of people in the world. Those who had a High School Musical phase, and dirty liars."  
Gabriel burst out laughing. "Truth right there, Samsquatch."  
They were quiet for a minute, until Gabriel checked his watch and sighed. "Hate to leave you, Sam, since I know you'll miss me, but I've got a soccer practice to make it to in roughly two minutes." He stood up and stretched, and Sam got up hurriedly as well.   
"See you around," Gabriel said, walking out of the box.   
"See you," Sam called after him, settling back into his chair. 

Gabe didn't make it to his soccer practice on time, and his coach chewed him out. But while he was running laps and doing extra drills, he was also planning what he was going to do to Sam Winchester, so he wasn't exactly uncomfortable.


	4. Hellloooo, Puck?

The next day when Gabriel got to school, there was a crowd of people clustered around the announcement board in the main hallway reading the list and calling back to their friends what the names on it were. It was a mess, and Gabriel did not have time for it. He pushed his way through everyone and scanned the list. 

 

A Midsummer's Night Dream  
Cast and Crew Listings

Demetrius: Castiel Shirley   
Hermia: Jo Harvelle  
Lysander: Adam Milligan  
Helena: Meg Pond  
Titania: Charlie Bradbury  
Oberon: Dorothy Baum  
Puck: Gabriel Shirley  
Theseus: John Martinez  
Hippolyta: Angelina Devon

Gabriel stopped reading around the point where the list started naming off extras. Holy shit. Naomi had let him in. And not made him the literal ass of the play. Was he in heaven?  
He felt a gentle nudge against his shoulder and turned to see Hannah smiling brightly at him. "Good job, Gabriel. You deserved one of the leads, but Naomi wouldn't bend quite that far. At least you made it, though, right?"  
Gabriel smiled back. "Thanks for sticking your neck out, Hannah. It means a lot."  
"Kindness from the leather-clad punk rocker Gabriel? Today is just full of surprises."  
"Come on, I'm gonna be wearing tights and a pair of wings in front of an entire auditorium in a few months. I think I can say thank you."  
"I don't know," Hannah said, looking him up and down appraisingly. "I think wings will suit you." She flashed a smile and walked off.  
Charlie bounced up beside him and grabbed his arm, pulling him away from the audition list. "Did you see the list? Dorothy and I made it as Oberon and Titania! I thought for sure that Naomi would ignore the roles we wanted, if she even let us in." She leaned in with a smirk and muttered, "I don't think she's a big fan of lesbians." She drew back and kept talking happily. "But we're in as a couple, which is gonna be great. And you made it too! Of course, you were a shoo-in with the way you can act and sing. How come you never told me?"   
"Um, I didn't really know," Gabriel said uncomfortably.   
"Anyway, I've got to get to class. Great job, though!" Charlie bobbed away through the bunches of kids gathered in the hallways.   
Throughout the day, Gabriel was bombarded by kids congratulating him. Most were mocking, but a couple were actually sincere, and one or two seemed to be happy that he was part of drama. He half-hoped that Sam would make an appearance at some point. He never showed. Not that Gabriel cared very much about the kid. He just had a nice ass. And drop-dead gorgeous eyes. And he was sweet and funny and... Gabriel shoved all thoughts of Sam Winchester out of his mind and focused on making it through his first drama rehearsal alive. He was sitting in the auditorium after school with the group of kids who'd made the list, and Naomi was pacing the stage. Gabriel thought she should have a whip or something, what with the lion-tamer aggression she was throwing off. "I hope you're all ready, because I don't accept amateurs or unprofessional, unfocused work. We have four months to prepare this play, and I need all of you here every night from six to nine. Practice your lines at home, with friends, anywhere you can. This is going to be the best rendition of A Midsummer's Night Dream this town has ever seen, and we're going to make it happen." She glared at the cast, a couple of whom looked mildly terrified.   
"I'm passing out scripts now. We're doing a read-through today."   
The auditorium filled with the sound of shuffling papers as everyone took a script and passed the pile on. Gabriel took his and flipped through it. The play, as he had suspected it would be, was in the original language, with the same stage directions as Shakespeare himself had written over three centuries ago. He zoned out for a few minutes, thinking again about Sam, then heard his name.   
"Gabriel," Charlie hissed from next to him. "It's your line."  
Gabriel shook himself out of dreamland and grabbed his script, frantically fanning through the pages until he reached his first line. "Uh...How now, spirit? Whither wander you?" He bit his lip and vowed to focus for the rest of rehearsals.   
It was a long couple of hours. After finishing the read-through, Naomi made them run some basic exercises, then split them into groups to do some short scenes together. By the time practice was over, it was nearly ten and Gabriel's eyelids were drooping. Sam was nowhere to be seen, so Gabe went home and prepared to do it all again the next day.


	5. Lollipops and the Friendzone

After a few practices, Gabriel finally saw Sam again. The kid had a great talent for hiding, since Gabriel hadn't seen him in the hallways or at any rehearsals.   
Sam was going over a particular scene's lighting with Naomi after practice when Gabriel managed to catch him again. When Sam had finished talking with his hands (God, Gabriel loved his hands- long fingers that he'd love to get intimate with), Gabriel bounced up smirking.   
"Haven't seen you in faaar too long, Samsquatch," he said, sticking a lollipop into his mouth and swirling his tongue around the sugary candy.   
"Been busy," Sam answered, walking towards the auditorium's exit. Gabriel matched pace with him easily; Sam wasn't trying to get away this time. "AP Calculus has been kicking my ass, and Naomi's been riding me on the lighting a lot recently."  
"Since we both made it through the first few drama practices unharmed... care to come back to my place and let me show you who should really be riding you?"  
Sam stopped in the middle of opening the double doors and looked at Gabriel, biting his lip. "I don't mean to be rude or anything, but I've got a girlfriend, and I'm not really interested."  
Gabriel felt something inside him twist a little and crack. But he'd only thought of Sam as a good lay. No big deal.   
As Sam started walking away, Gabriel caught up to him. "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable. And you should take this apology seriously, because I barely ever say sorry." He smirked. "I usually don't call my hookups back, but if you want, we could just be friends." His stomach fluttered, and he realized that he might have accidentally begun thinking of Sam as more than just a guy he wanted to screw.   
"Are you sure you can resist flirting with me?" Sam asked with a smile.   
"Not entirely, no, but that's what makes my friendship so interesting," Gabriel answered.   
"Then yeah," Sam said. "Friends...would be good."  
Gabriel crunched his lollipop. "Thanks for the second chance, Samsquatch. I'll do my best not to blow it." He waved goodbye and got into his pickup. Sam pulled out of the lot in a cute little hybrid car, and Gabriel waited until he was long gone to release the breath he'd been holding. Yeah. Definitely not just a possible fuck buddy. 

 

"Any luck with the moose?" Crowley asked him the next day at lunch. Balthazar smirked.   
Gabriel shook his head. "Nah."  
"Cheer up, angel. There's always another fish in the sea, correct?"   
"Yeah, of course," Gabriel said. 

He got to practice a little early that day and caught Sam miking up the stage. "Hey, Samsquatch. Think you missed a spot," he said, taking a massive bite of his chocolate bar and pointing at the side of the stage.   
Sam moved awkwardly, pulling a mike out of the box and handing it to him. "Want to learn how to put up a mike?" he said uncomfortably.   
"Of course," Gabriel answered. "It's a little-known fact about me, but I've always wanted to learn how to mike a stage for a high-school drama production directed by the school's Queen Bitch. Ask anyone, it's my one true dream."  
Sam laughed, and the awkwardness between them melted away as Sam guided Gabriel in the finer points of sound systems. Gabriel teased Sam mercilessly when he geeked out over the systems, but secretly he loved seeing Sam light up with enthusiasm about the technology. It was incredibly cute, and it was nice to be around someone who didn't care what other people thought of them.


	6. Finally, Some Destiel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's some light destiel, you nerds :)

After a practice one day in which Naomi had insisted they go into full costume and makeup, Gabriel was sore and his throat hurt from projecting his lines. He was decked out in full Puck attire, which meant a blue tunic, tight white leggings, white wings, and sparkly eyeshadow. Thankfully, the rehearsal hadn't been taped. Gabriel had changed a lot since joining drama, but he drew the line at people seeing him in fairy wings and glittery makeup more than once in his life.   
He looked out at the auditorium, which was mostly vacant, with the exception of the cast members who were offstage and a couple of the drama geeks' friends. He caught sight of one guy with dirty blond hair and green eyes who was sitting way in the back of the auditorium that he'd never seen before. Gabriel walked over toward the guy, tugging off the ridiculous wings as he went. "Hey. They call me Gabriel," he said, plopping down beside him.  
He didn't take his eyes off the stage, instead distractedly answering, "Hey- Dean. "  
Gabe glanced toward where Dean was focusing his gaze. Jo was running a scene with   
Cas, the one where their characters, Hermia and Lysander, made plans to elope. She was speaking animatedly, a flush coloring her cheeks, while Cas seemed to be portraying a serious Lysander. "Jo's pretty hot, yeah?" he said with a lecherous wink toward Dean.   
"Yeah," Dean sighed, and Gabriel realized as Jo moved toward the right end of the stage and Dean kept his eyes on the left that Dean wasn't checking out Harvelle.   
Gabe raised his eyebrows. "Hope this isn't too personal," he said sarcastically, "but since that's my baby brother you're ogling, do you have the hots for hot pants up there?"  
Dean came out of his trance with an awkward cough. "No, no," he said, blushing furiously.   
"Well," Gabriel said, getting up, "when you finally come to terms with your bisexuality, you know who to call. And make sure to use condoms!" He walked off, leaving behind a Dean who seemed to be permanently red. 

After a few weeks in which Dean attended every single practice, always tucked away in the shadows and always staring at Castiel for the entire length of rehearsal, Gabriel decided he was tired of the lovesick gaze. He grabbed Cas's arm when he was coming out of the dressing room after practice and pulled him into the wings.   
"See that guy over there?" Gabriel asked, pointing very noticeably at Dean.   
"Yes," Cas answered, looking frustrated. "What about him?"  
"He's been here for literally every day of practice."  
"Gabe, he probably works on the crew or does journalism." Cas started walking away, and Gabriel seized him again.   
"No, little bro, I checked. He's an events reporter for the paper, yeah, but he doesn't cover the theater department. And, more importantly, he's been eye-fucking you into the ground since he started coming to practices."  
Castiel glanced toward Dean shyly, then turned back toward Gabe and took a deep breath, but Gabriel cut him off. "I know only the two people falling in love are supposed to feel a connection, but I swear I just felt the ground shake a little. Someone up in the sky thinks you two are destined to be." He pushed Cas gently in Dean's direction. "Go get 'em, tiger."


	7. As We Grow Closer

Over the next two weeks, Gabriel hung out with Sam more and more. He finally found out that Sam was in one of his classes-- AP Language and Composition-- and he made sure to talk to Sam in class and ask him for help with assignments. When he showed up early to practices, Sam was always there, working or just hanging out, and they'd talk while Sam showed Gabriel tech stuff or Gabriel told Sam stories about their rehearsals. Since Sam was isolated up in the soundproof tech box with one other nerdy kid who Gabriel barely saw, Sam loved hearing about how Adam had tripped over his own feet and landed on top of Jo, who pushed him off angrily; or about the time that Charlie kissed Dorothy on stage and Naomi nearly murdered her.   
Gabriel had been practicing lines with Castiel at home, but, while he loved his brother, it was a little too much time to spend together. He'd been searching desperately for another practice partner. Unfortunately, most of the drama kids, with the exception of Charlie, still hated him. Four years of torture apparently couldn't be canceled out with a little Gabriel charm, which Gabriel thought was completely unfair. He'd been stressing about it one day as he packed up after practice when Sam approached him.   
"Hey, Samsquatch," Gabriel said.   
"Hey, Gabriel. Um..." Sam shuffled his feet awkwardly. "I noticed that you don't really talk to anyone in theater besides Charlie and your brother, so you don't really have anyone to practice lines with. If you want, you could come practice in the tech box before school with me." He blushed adorably, and Gabriel's mind immediately went toward finding any way to make Sam blush like that again.   
He smiled and said, "Yeah, kiddo. I'd love that."   
For once, he didn't finish the sentence with a line or a wink. He just smiled at Sam and left the auditorium, driving home fast. He walked in the door with flushed cheeks and a huge grin.   
"Why're you so happy, Gabriel?" Cas asked suspiciously. Generally, Gabriel's happiness signified that someone was about to have ice water dumped on their head, although recently he'd been a lot sweeter, which Cas found strange.   
"Nothing," Gabriel answered, smiling harder.   
"Gabriel, spill," Cas said.   
Gabriel sighed and laid out the whole Sam situation- the way he'd seen Sam and decided to try out for drama, Sam's rejection, their budding friendship...and a whole lot of details about Sam in general.   
"He's a great guy, you know?" Gabriel finished, dropping his backpack in the living room. "Really funny, and totally brilliant. A little serious, though."  
"I ship it," Cas muttered under his breath.   
"What was that?" Gabe asked, turning back toward Cas.   
"Nothing," said Cas, dropping his head back to his science homework. As Gabriel walked off down the hall towards his bedroom, Cas grinned. 

Gabriel's days became just a little bit brighter from spending mornings with the ray of sunshine commonly known as Sam Winchester. Sam hadn't been lying--he was absolutely awful at drama-- but Gabriel was glad to have someone to practice lines with, especially Sam. After rehearsing for half an hour or so, the two would sit in the tech box and talk. Sam told Gabriel about his dad and brother and how he planned to escape to Stanford as soon as he graduated.   
"My dad wants me to go into the family business," Sam said, sounding half-disgusted and half-sad. "Mechanics. I'm leaving to practice law. He never cared. He never even asked me what I wanted to do, just assumed that I was on board with whatever he wanted."   
Gabriel nodded. "That sounds rough. I can relate with the dysfunctional family thing, though: my mom died when I was little and my dad's almost never home. Cas is my half-brother: same dad, different moms. We mostly manage on our own. "  
"I'm sorry, Gabriel. That sucks. Guess we're both kinda dependent on our siblings, huh?"   
Gabriel laughed. "Yeah, I guess so."

They talked about everything -- from school to outer space to television shows.   
"Dude, don't knock sci-fi till you try it. I demand that you watch at least an episode each of Doctor Who and Star Trek," Sam said.   
Gabe grinned. "Only if you watch Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead with me, Samsquatch."   
For the next few practice sessions, they ditched the script and watched Netflix on Sam's laptop, Gabriel curled up near him and breathing in his scent. 

Gabriel brought in a latte one morning and sucked it down while rehearsing with Sam.   
"You know," Sam said when they finished, "I've never had coffee before."  
Gabriel's eyes popped. "Are you serious? This stuff is the nectar of the gods. Here," he said, holding his cup out to Sam. Sam took it and wrapped his lips around the straw tentatively, sucking gently. Despite Gabriel's vow to not even think about Sam in any way other than a friend, he nearly got hard at the sight of the other senior drinking the latte.   
Gabriel coughed and cleared his throat uncomfortably. "How is it?"  
Sam finally pulled off the straw and smiled. "Amazing," he said, handing it back. "Where do you get yours so I can grab some?"  
A couple of days later, Gabriel had Sam thoroughly hooked. 

One day, about three and a half months after Gabe's miracle audition, they'd been practicing lines for about an hour when Sam sniffed. Gabriel's head shot up. He knew what Sam sounded like when he was sick, and this wasn't it. When Sam was sick, he blew his nose incessantly and hauled around a little bottle of hand sanitizer so that he wouldn't get anyone else sick.   
"What's up, Samsquatch?" Gabe asked gently.   
"It's not a big deal," Sam said.   
Gabriel scooted his chair closer and touched Sam's shoulder tentatively. "Seriously, what's wrong?"  
"Bad breakup," Sam said. "The girlfriend I told you about just dumped me, and it wasn't exactly a clean break." He swallowed tightly.   
Gabriel felt anger welling up inside him. To think that anyone could hurt Sam -- he wanted to lash out, to cover Sam protectively while he made sure that nothing bad ever happened to him again. He wanted to rip the girl apart in a rage, show her what happened when you fucked with Sam Winchester ....he reined in his emotions.   
"That. Bitch," he muttered through clenched teeth. "She nowhere near deserved you, Sam. You are the sweetest, bravest, most selfless person I've ever met, and she treated you like trash."   
Sam smiled, although Gabriel didn't see it. "Chill out, Gabe. I'll be okay."  
The red clouding Gabriel's vision withdrew slowly, and he relaxed back into his chair while Sam changed the subject and began rambling on about his views on solar panels.


	8. More To Drama Than Sam Winchester

Gabriel woke up in the middle of the night that night and realized he was utterly, catastrophically in love with Sam Winchester. He loved the way Sam moved, talked, laughed... hell, he even loved the way Sam breathed, quiet deep breaths that always calmed Gabriel down. He'd fallen head over heels for Sam's messy long hair, for his brown eyes and sweet smile, for the way that he geeked out about sci-fi and healthy food and law, for the way that he put everyone else before himself, for the way he made everyone smile (he could even charm Naomi, which was saying something). Gabriel moaned and rolled over, burying his face into his pillow. Fuck. Why did it have to be Sam that he fell in love with? There were tons of cool people out there he could have fallen for who shared the distinct advantage of not being Sam Winchester. "But none like Sam," a tiny voice whispered in his head. Gabriel gave up on sleeping any more that night. 

Gabriel went to school the next day red-eyed and exhausted. In practice, he flubbed a line, and Naomi yelled at him for a good ten minutes.   
"We have two weeks until this play premieres. Two weeks!" She slammed a fist onto a nearby table. "We do not have time for you to screw up your lines. We barely have enough time for practice as it is!" She turned away with a huff of annoyance. "I knew I shouldn't have listened to Hannah. Take that scene from the top."  
Gabriel wanted to scream at her until his tonsils bled, but he bit his tongue. She could definitely be a bitch, but, as he looked around, there was no denying that Naomi had put together a great play. She'd managed to pull Adam together, lighten Cas up, keep Meg in check, and rein in Jo. At the same time, she'd actually crafted them into their characters, put together the blocking, adjust the script and movements of the cast, and create an entirely believable Shakespearian-era play, complete with original language. For the first time, Gabriel actually felt proud of the drama kids as he watched Cas dramatically profess his love for Jo while Charlie and Dorothy snickered in the wings. Maybe he'd never seen it clearly before, but they'd made something beautiful.   
Then he maimed another line, Naomi yelled again, and he realized that drama wasn't as horrible as he'd thought at first, but it also wasn't as perfect as he sometimes thought it was now. But everything had its flaws, and he thought that the experience of drama had been utterly worth it. As Naomi finally stopped yelling and let them leave with a sincere promise from Gabriel to practice his lines more, he hopped off the stage and met up with Sam, who had his backpack on and looked ready to go.   
"Hey, kiddo, I hate to ask, but Naomi's already yelled at me twice for messing up lines. Would you be able to stay after practice sometime and help me a bit?"  
Sam smiled sweetly and bit his lip, reddening it. Gabriel longed to kiss him, to turn Sam bright red and mark him up. But he'd always been good at hiding his feelings, and Sam had already explained that he wasn't interested, so Gabriel shoved it all down and focused on what Sam was saying.   
"I would, Gabriel, but I've got semester finals coming up and I've got to study."   
Gabriel nodded, disappointed. "Yeah, I understand. It's okay." He started walking away, and Sam rushed up and grabbed his arm, then blushed when he realized he was holding it.   
"I can definitely do it next week, though?" Sam said, turning the statement into a question and looking nervous. He reached up and twirled a strand of his hair through his fingers, and Gabriel almost passed out. Sam looked so incredibly flirty that Gabriel practically couldn't stand it. He swallowed and smiled back at Sam.   
"Yeah, Samsquatch, sounds great. I'll still be seeing you mornings, though, right?"  
"As if I could abandon you like that," Sam answered, looking a lot more comfortable but still flushed. He shouldered his backpack. "See you tomorrow, Gabriel."  
Gabe watched him go and sighed. It would be a long week. 

Gabriel channeled his frustrations with Sam into studying. Semester finals would be brutal, and the fact that the play premiered the Saturday night after they were over didn't exactly help. He was desperately juggling chemistry equations and calculus homework, and pulling late nights every day at practice. Thankfully soccer was over; otherwise Gabriel didn't know if he would have made it. When the Monday of semester finals/premiere week rolled around, Gabriel was worn out, but the thought of spending a little more time with Sam put some spring into his step. He showed up early to the tech box and waited around for Sam with their favorite lattes and lollipops. Sam showed up a little out of breath and a few minutes late, lugging his calculus book.   
"Hey, Gabe," Sam said, looking just as tired as Gabriel felt. Gabriel handed him the coffee and a grape lollipop, and Sam's face softened into a smile. "God, I'm so lucky to have you." He fumbled open the door to the tech box, and Gabriel walked in and sat on his usual chair. Sam collapsed into the chair opposite him, sucking almost desperately at his coffee. Gabriel looked at him and again thought about Sam's clearly talented mouth, preferably in a rather more intimate situation.   
To distract himself, he flipped open the script and began running lines. Sam looked a little surprised, but quickly opened his copy of the script and filled in the other parts smoothly.


	9. Cookies and Cas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some more destiel here-- beware, Sabriel-only shippers. Also some lightly smutty stuff :)

That week was torturous. Every time Gabriel was away from Sam, he thought about him, and every time he was with Sam, he did his best not to think about him. He and Sam were both so stressed about finals that they ended up using two of the practices to study. Gabriel found out that Sam was a perfect study partner and fell for him a little more. Jo went into a crying jag on stage during practice, so Gabe indulged a talent he rarely showed off anymore and made her some cookies, then decided that the whole drama cast and crew could use some. He made them with Cas on Tuesday while reviewing for his AP English exam and brought them in on Wednesday, dropping a few off outside the tech box for Sam.   
Jo started crying again and thanked Gabriel profusely. She threw her arms around him, and he hugged her awkwardly. She pulled back after a minute, her tearstained face grateful. "I was really wrong about you, Gabriel. I thought you were just another ass who couldn't give a fuck about everyone around him. But you really do care about people, don't you?" She sniffed and dragged a sleeve across her face. "Thank you," she said again, biting into a cookie and going off toward Adam and Cas with the script.   
Gabriel offered a cookie to Naomi tentatively. She accepted after learning that he had made them, and took a huge bite. Her eyes went wide and she moaned softly. "God, Gabriel, these are amazing. Thanks for making them." She blushed uncomfortably. "I know I've treated you pretty badly-" (That's an understatement, Gabriel thought) "- but you've been really good to me and the cast since you joined drama. Thanks for that."  
Gabriel was a bit shocked and felt much more comfortable when she finished her cookie and yelled for everyone to get into position to rehearse.   
After the rehearsal, Naomi said, "Everyone, don't forget that we have our cast party in the choir room after an hour of practice tomorrow. Make sure you bring something to eat and get ready to relax. We'll be having a dress rehearsal tomorrow and again on Friday, and I need you all here on Saturday two hours before the premiere at four to practice again. Have a good night." She walked off the stage and out of the auditorium. Gabriel headed up to the tech box, where Sam was waiting.   
"Guess this is our last practice, then," Gabriel said, dumping his backpack on the floor. He'd told Sam earlier that he didn't want to practice on Thursday or Friday morning, citing nerves. The real reason? He was so worked up with stress, hormones, and exhaustion that he was afraid he might make a move on Sam.   
"Yeah," Sam answered. Gabriel stopped for a second at the disappointment in his voice.   
"We'll still see each other, Samsquatch. Don't worry, I'm not planning on leaving you anytime soon," Gabriel smirked.   
Sam smiled. "Oh, by the way, your cookies are fantastic. I mean, I'm usually a health nut, so I don't really like a whole lot of sweets, but I bent over backwards for these." He picked up another one from the plate and took a small bite of it   
"Good," Gabriel said. "I worked hard on those." He pulled his script out of his backpack, and Sam grabbed his from where it was lying on the tech panel. They ran through the entire play, and Gabriel rubbed his eyes as he said his last line: "Give me your hands, if we be friends, and Robin shall restore amends."   
Sam tossed his script back onto the panel. "You'll do great on Saturday, don't worry."  
Gabriel rolled his eyes. "I'm not worried, kiddo. This is going to be fantastic."  
He pulled himself out of his chair and shouldered his backpack, yawning. Then he leaned in towards Sam, stopping just inches from the curve of his cheekbone. Sam's breathing went ragged, and he locked eyes with Gabriel, pupils blown out and lips red. Gabriel's breathing stuttered as well, and he spent a few seconds getting lost in Sam's eyes and breathing in his scent (God, Sam smelled so perfect- like cinnamon and firewood). Sam's cheeks flushed, and he almost seemed to lean forward, but Gabriel came to himself, realized what he was doing, and pulled back as quickly as possible. "Good night, Samsquatch," he said hurriedly, backtracking out of the tech box. Once he'd cleared the door, he turned and practically ran down the steps. Fuck. He'd almost kissed Sam Winchester good night. After Sam had told him he wasn't interested and then had gone through a rough breakup. Was he really such a bad person that he wanted to wrap Sam up in his arms and kiss him raw after something like that?  
He reached the exit of the auditorium before realizing that he'd left his headphones backstage. He turned and dashed toward the stage, praying that he didn't see Sam. He ran into the wings and almost bumped straight into Cas, who was....oh, wow.   
Castiel had Dean pinned to the wall, kissing him roughly. It was clear by Castiel's mussed hair and Dean's flushed look that they'd been at it for a while. Dean wound his hands through Cas's hair and pulled him downward even harder, pushing back into the kiss. Cas's hands were all over Dean, running down along his shoulders and waist and hips and back up his body. His fingers trailed along Dean's chest, and Dean moaned almost painfully into Cas's mouth and went straight for the tie that Cas wore, unknotting it harshly and tossing it to the side of the stage. Cas slipped his hands down to Dean's waist again and tugged off his shirt in one sinuous movement. At that point, Gabriel decided that missing his headphones for a day was worth not becoming a creepy voyeur who watched his younger brother and some other guy have sex in the back of an auditorium. He slipped out of the theater, got into his truck, and drove home. Cas had a car, he'd be fine, and Gabe would call him if he didn't get home by midnight. He wasn't worried.   
Cas got home at 11:45. Gabriel didn't question it because Cas looked so blissed-out and sleepy. He could hold off on teasing the kid until the next day.


	10. I Won't Say I'm In Love

The next day after practice, Gabriel walked into the party carrying an enormous tray. "I have the kielbasa you ordered," he said with a huge grin. He dropped the tray off onto the table groaning under the weight of dozens of pounds of food and looked around, smiling. He guessed that Naomi had gotten Becky, the school's unofficial party planner, to decorate. Normally he wouldn't trust her within ten feet of a roll of streamers, but the place actually looked pretty amazing.   
"Midnight in Paris theme," said Charlie, coming up beside him. "If you ask me, it should have been Shakespeare-related, but I guess Naomi's in charge." She pouted.   
Gabriel turned slowly, taking it all in. Everyone was dressed in simple jeans and tshirts, but the choir room had been transformed into a black-tie-gala-looking affair. Tiny white lights hung from the ceiling and draped across the room, and a black velvet tablecloth had been laid across the food table, which had small groups of scented tea lights burning on it every few inches. Glenn Miller and Frank Sinatra played on a huge DVD player in a corner of the room. Other than the candles and strings of lights, the room was dim.   
"It really doesn't look that bad," Gabriel said, surprising himself.   
Charlie looked at him, clearly surprised as well. "If you say so," she said. Dorothy came up to them, and Gabriel excused himself.   
He grabbed a cookie from the food table and wandered along the fringes of the party. Jo tried to talk to him, but he gently refused. He was on the lookout for a certain moose.   
Eventually Gabriel gave up and dropped into one of the chairs scattered around in the shadows on the edges of the room. He sighed and reminded himself that he was just a friend to Sam. Nothing special. Sam probably felt all creeped out and violated and didn't want to talk to him anymore. But he couldn't curb the disappointment that rose up inside him.   
He shut his eyes and leaned back in the chair breathing deeply, until he caught the scent of cinnamon and firewood. Gabriel opened his eyes slowly and saw Sam gazing back at him with his hands behind his back, looking nervous and awkward. Gabriel flinched back and closed his eyes again.   
He heard Sam swallow, then start talking. "Gabriel, about last night..."  
Gabriel shook his head. "No, Sam, it was my fault. I'm sorry, it wasn't right of me to try to take advantage of you like that."  
"Look at me, Gabriel," Sam said. Gabriel opened his eyes as Sam knelt in front of him so their eyes were level.   
Sam looked at him wistfully, then smiled. "God, you're beautiful," he said, tracing Gabriel's cheekbone. "Eyes like whiskey in sunlight. Did you know that?"  
Gabriel couldn't breathe. He felt like he was pinned in place in the chair as Sam moved in between his legs and ran his fingertips along Gabriel's jawline. He laughed shortly. "I guess you didn't know."  
"Know what?" Gabriel gasped out.   
"How much I wanted you to do this last night," Sam said as he leaned forward and kissed Gabriel tenderly.   
Gabriel moaned against Sam. He tasted just as Gabriel had imagined, like gingersnaps and coffee, even though the last time Sam had eaten gingersnaps was probably in grade school or something, the dork. Gabriel realized that he was thinking too much and switched off that part of his brain, melting into Sam.   
Sam pulled back and tilted his forehead against Gabe's, and Gabriel practically whimpered at the loss of Sam's chapped lips against his. "I love you, Gabriel."   
Gabriel felt his eyes welling up and prayed that he wouldn't start crying in front of his Samsquatch.   
"I love you, Gabriel," Sam said, his voice growing stronger. "I loved you from the moment that you set fire to that drama set. I didn't know it until a while later, but I did. I fell so hard, Gabriel. I fell for golden hair and a positively sinful voice and a person who was always there for me. Someone who stuck with me and took care of me the way that no one other than family ever has." He took a deep breath. "I fell utterly in love with a guy who took down my walls and made me so much better. I fell for Puck in this ridiculous play of Naomi's." He brushed a tear from Gabriel's face and kissed him lightly. "I fell in love with you."   
Sam drew back a little farther, stood up, and held out the rose he'd been holding behind his back. "Say you'll be mine?" He looked almost unsure, as if he didn't know exactly what Gabriel was going to say to that.   
Gabriel took the rose from Sam and flung it away. Sam looked heartbroken for all of three seconds until Gabriel tugged him downward back into his lap and kissed him with everything he had. When they finally broke apart, Gabriel gave Sam his signature smirk. "As if I haven't been completely yours since the first time I saw you smile." He kissed Sam's temple. "As if there has been a minute when I haven't been totally in love with you in all the time I've known you." He brushed his lips over Sam's nose. "As if I haven't fallen just as hard for messy brown hair and a fantastic smile and someone who made me feel whole." He spent a minute just curled up against Sam before twining his fighters through Sam's and pulling him up off the chair.   
"Now that we've gotten the profession of love out of the way, we can really get down to business," he said, smirking at Sam suggestively.   
Sam licked his lips and grinned back wickedly, and Gabriel nearly fainted. "I was more implying that we rejoin the party and grab some of that awesome-looking Yule Log cake Cas baked. I'm proud of the little nerd-- he's picking some stuff up. But don't worry, there'll be plenty of that later."  
Sam smiled and whispered roughly into Gabriel's ear, "Promise me?"   
Gabriel answered by diving right into a harsh kiss, nipping at Sam's bottom lip before drawing back. "You have my word."  
The two made it back to the party just in time to see Cas and Dean walk in holding hands, which prompted loud clapping from the entire room. Dean blushed, while Cas just smiled and clung to Dean's hand a bit tighter, looking amazingly possessive.   
Gabriel stuck out his bottom lip. "Why didn't we get clapping?" he murmured into Sam's ear petulantly.   
Sam turned and said, "We didn't need it." Gabe nuzzled into Sam more securely, and Charlie sidled up to Gabe and coughed, "Finallyjeezyouguystooksolongtogettogether." She slipped off before Gabriel could kick her, but he smiled. 

Gabriel made it through the last day of finals and rushed to practice. He was late and Sam was already up in the tech box, but when they were finally finished and Naomi had congratulated all of them, Gabriel all but sprinted up the steps to the box and threw open the door. Sam grinned and strode forward, capturing Gabriel's lips with his own strongly. The two fell into a make-out session, Gabriel barely managing to shut the door behind him before Sam had him up against the tech panel.   
When they finally separated, Gabriel looked at Sam. "Miss me, Samsquatch?"  
"Always," Sam breathed against his ear.   
"No pressure, Sam, but are you ready to go farther?"  
Sam bit Gabriel's lip slowly and licked away the tiny drop of blood he drew. His voice was raspy when he said, "Impress me tomorrow and we'll see."  
Gabriel sighed. "Still such a tease, Sammy." He grabbed his backpack from where it had fallen on the floor and pulled Sam down so he could kiss him lightly on the forehead. "See you tomorrow," he said softly, and left the auditorium.


	11. The Trickster and His Guardian Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last one, you guys! Thanks for reading all of this mess- it's the longest thing I've ever written, but I kinda love it :). Prepare for some light sabriel smut (nothing too graphic) and some fluffy sabriel and destiel feels.

Gabriel slept pretty soundly that night, and woke up the next day ready to knock the play out of the park. He dressed comfortably and tossed his costume into a bag, then dragged Cas out of bed and drove them both to the school.   
Gabriel rushed into the auditorium, but Sam wasn't there yet. He sighed and turned back to see Cas walking through the auditorium doors. "Missing Sam?"  
Gabriel flushed. "I guess you saw last night, then."  
"How could I miss it?" Cas asked, walking down the steps to join Gabriel close to the stage. "My older brother finally finds a decent guy, wanders into the shadows with him, and comes back practically glued to his body. Everyone saw last night."  
Gabe wiggled his eyebrows. "Do I detect a hint of Dean-o's manner of speaking there, Cassie? Speaking of last night..." he let the sentence dangle, and Cas was the one to blush this time.  
"You are better at matchmaking that I would have thought, Gabriel," he said solemnly, and Gabe grinned, happy to see Cas back to his usual self. "I believe-" Cas paused and wrung his hands for a moment. "I believe that I love him."  
"Good for you, little bro," Gabriel said. "Dean seems like a good guy."   
The two stood quietly for a moment, looking up at the stage. "Nervous, Cassie?" Gabriel teased.   
"Yes," Castiel replied simply. "I always am before something like this. But in a way, that's the best part." He smiled at Gabriel and walked backstage to get dressed. He, as one of the leads, would be spending the most time getting costumed. Gabriel hefted the bag containing his costume and went backstage to change.   
He then spent two hellish hours in hair and makeup as Donna, one of the best, fluttered around him attempting to spike his hair; giving up; washing out the gel; blow-drying it back into shape; applying foundation, powder, and blush; sketching eyeliner with light wings and brushing eyeshadow over his lids; and sprinkling glitter over his entire face.   
Gabriel looked into the mirror and was surprised at how much he actually resembled a fairy. Not that Gabriel hadn't always known he was a fairy. "Is this much glitter really necessary?"  
Donna nodded vigorously. "Yes, definitely. Now go out and break a leg!"  
Gabriel heaved himself out of the chair and joined the rest of the crew for their last rehearsal, which was mostly composed of Naomi having a quiet breakdown as she worried about every last detail of the play. Finally, Hannah and Uriel managed to calm her down, and she called everyone off the stage for the last fifteen minutes before the play began. Once in the wings, Gabriel peeked out into the auditorium, which was filling up fast. Sure enough, Dean was front and center. Gabriel waved to him and shot him a wink, and Dean half-smiled, half-blushed while awkwardly waving back.   
Naomi came out from behind the curtain, cleared her throat, and launched into a long-winded speech about drama. Gabriel squinted at the tech box, trying to catch a glimpse of Sam, and only remembered to be nervous when she finally started winding down. He practiced the breathing exercises Cas had taught him as Theseus and Hippolyta walked out to begin the production.  
The play went off without a hitch. Gabriel came on and offstage, delivered lines, and used props, and the world didn't implode with the sheer force of improbability that was being impressed upon it. Backstage, it was a hurried rush of bodies and murmured lines and props being handed around. Onstage, everything flowed together and created something that Gabriel could almost understand wanting to accomplish more than once. Okay, he could definitely understand it.   
Gabriel came onstage, said his last lines, and bowed, signaling the end of the play. As applause thundered from the crowd, the rest of the cast joined him onstage. They linked arms and took a bow, and everyone in the auditorium, in a rush of movement, stood up and continued clapping.  
Gabriel smiled until his face hurt and then gently began herding everyone offstage. Once he was in the wings again, his knees began shaking and he almost collapsed into a chair, breathing hard.   
"It's okay," said Cas, who had snuck up behind him. "It's just your body finally feeling the effect of that adrenaline. You'll be fine in a moment." He patted Gabriel on the shoulder and disappeared into the dressing room.   
Sam's voice resonated in his ear. "You did fantastic." Gabriel turned around to see Sam, who handed him a rose with the amazing smile he'd fallen so in love with.   
Gabriel took the rose and studied it, turning it gently in his hands. "Are roses going to become a thing for us?"  
"Hope so," Sam said, pulling Gabriel to his feet. "That sounds appropriately romantic. And," he said, leaning into Gabriel and murmuring, "I think you have a promise to keep."  
Gabriel flushed as Sam hauled him up to the tech box and locked the door securely, then turned on him. "Oh, the things I'm going to do to you, Gabriel Shirley," Sam muttered, eyes roving over Gabe's body. He fell to his knees and proceeded to make good on his promise while Gabriel moaned above him. Just before Gabe climaxed, Sam pulled off and gently removed both his clothes and Gabriel's, spread a blanket on the floor, then began fumbling in his bag. Gabriel pulled a condom and a packet of lube out of his discarded leggings, and Sam had to smile.   
"You had a condom in your leggings?"  
Gabriel looked affronted. "I'm like a Boy Scout, Samsquatch- always prepared."  
Sam smirked. "I think I'll prep you anyway," he said, and did just that after laying Gabriel out on the blanket. He then sank into Gabriel with a groan.   
An hour or so later, the two were snuggled together on the blanket, blissed-out on a high from their multiple orgasms. Gabriel lay with his arms around Sam's waist, head on his stomach. Softly, Sam said, "Was that good?" with the vulnerability that Gabriel had grown to love. He huffed out a laugh and pushed himself upward using Sam's chest. He threw a leg over Sam's waist and leaned down to kiss him again. "That, my Samsquatch, was amazing. And a stupid question, because the guy I'm in love with just fucked me numb. How could that not be good?"  
Sam sat up and brushed his lips against Gabriel's nose. "I love you too, Gabriel."   
Gabriel wiggled atop Sam's lap. "Does that mean you're ready for round two?"  
Sam smirked. "Always," he growled into Gabriel's ear. 

 

Epilogue  
Gabriel and Sam both graduated with honors and went to Stanford together. Sam became a hugely successful defense lawyer in California, earning the nickname "Guardian Angel" for his almost uncanny ability to get anyone a not-guilty verdict. Gabriel opened up a pastry shop in the suburbs of Anaheim, captivating the Disney crowd of tourists as well as the locals with his beautiful, delicious sweets. They bought a small home and lived together comfortably in absolute happiness with Dean and Cas living just a few hours away. And if Gabriel sometimes took out the rose that Sam had given him on the night of the cast party, which he had pressed to preserve it, and smelled it while thinking about just how lucky he was... Well, that was his own damn business.


End file.
